


we built this right, so nothing's ever gonna move it

by SleepyBanshee



Series: give your heart and soul to charity, cause the rest of you, the best of you, honey belongs to me [6]
Category: Sanditon (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Married af, edit: just a little something to get us through this fresh hell, just a lil something in celebration of the finale today, people underestimate charlotte and she's like 'change my life'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 13:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyBanshee/pseuds/SleepyBanshee
Summary: Charlotte attends a dinner party to help Sanditon procure patrons. She's in a mood and the gossiping ladies of London society are not helping. Luckily, she has her husband to go home to!





	we built this right, so nothing's ever gonna move it

Charlotte was used to being underestimated. It was a normal part of her daily life. In fact, even her husband had underestimated her when they first met. There were only a few people she had ever known who immediately saw her value. Mary Parker, for one. Lady Susan, another. For the most part, it did not bother her. Charlotte knew her worth; other people’s opinions mattered little.

That did not mean, however, that dinners such as these did not grate on her. Susan had been unable to accept the invitation for this particular dinner party, and she sat surprisingly far from her husband. In all honesty, she did not even know who this dinner party was hosted by. A Miss Cunningham, she presumes, as that was the name on their invitation. She knew it was important to Tom Parker and the future of Sanditon, and that meant it was important to Sidney and her. However, she would much rather have a quiet night in with her husband. Lately, Sidney had been increasingly busy, and she had rarely seen him within the last two weeks. His habit of coming in well past midnight was now far less amusing than the first night or two when Sidney would try earnestly to get into their marriage bed without waking her up.

Despite her complete understanding of the importance of Sidney’s appearance tonight, she wished she had at least been able to sit across or next to her husband. Instead, she was surrounded by a group of very lovely girls who continued to make passive-aggressive comments about Charlotte’s relative naivete in regards to the high society she found herself if. She smiled tightly and graciously throughout the conversation and feigned ignorance at the slights made about her upbringing in a quaint village no one had heard of.

Even the food, which Charlotte usually delighted in, unappealed to her. She was grumpy. There was no other way to describe her complete lackluster attitude about the night. She picked around her plate, non-committedly.

“Mrs. Parker?” A lovely blonde woman called her attention. The name, still new enough that it took her a second to answer the inquiry.

“Yes, Ms…?” She trailed off, unsure of the guests in attendance.

“Mrs. Waylon,” She smiled slightly condescendingly, and Charlotte upped her smile.

“Apologies, Mrs. Waylon.” Charlotte corrected.

“I am very interested in your courtship with Mr. Parker. Was it very sudden?” Charlotte felt the question was leading her into a trap from which she could not escape.

“I’m not sure sudden is the word I would use. We were acquainted for some time in Sanditon before we were married,” Charlotte said graciously. She glanced up and looked for Sidney across and down the table, he was deep in conversation with his dinner guests, and she knew that was good news, but she couldn’t quell the small resentment towards his companions around the table. Mrs. Waylon followed Charlotte’s gaze.

“Interesting, and what, my dear, did you do to snare such an eligible bachelor?” Charlotte focused back on the ladies around her. She could hear the younger woman next to Mrs. Waylon attempt to hide her giggle into her napkin at the question. It was an innocuous question, but the tone suggested that Charlotte did something rather unladylike to secure her marriage to Sidney. She was not wholly incorrect.

“Well, actually, I believe if he tells it, then I snared him when I tore off part of my dress, or rather, had Sidney do it so that I might secure a tourniquet to save the life of the Sanditon stonemason.” The girl who had giggled gasped slightly, and Mrs. Waylon looked a little harried at Charlotte’s direct answer. Charlotte had never been one to hold back her tongue. Why start now?

“Good heavens,” Mrs. Waylon said, shocked. “That is not an entirely appropriate dinner conversation, Mrs. Parker.”

Charlotte tipped her head in apology. “Pardon me, ma’am. I spoke only the truth to answer your question.” Charlotte took a small bite of the dessert in front of her. She had no idea what the food was called, but it jiggled plenty.

“And you, Mrs. Parker?” The giggling girl asked, her esteem of Charlotte seemed to have risen at the new information.

“And I?” Charlotte clarified.

“When did Mr. Parker snare you?”

“Miss Lawson, that is an entirely unacceptable question to ask. I expected better from you,” Mrs. Waylon chastised, and Miss Lawson grew red at the admonishment.

“It’s quite all-right, Mrs. Waylon, I don’t mind answering,” Charlotte replied truthfully, hoping to support Miss Lawson despite her less than friendly behavior during the majority of their acquaintance.

“Mrs. Parker is being too kind, Miss Lawson. Besides, Mr. Parker did not have to do much to snare young Mrs. Parker. Any woman would be a fool to not accept a hand in marriage from such a funded bachelor even if his reputation leaves much to be desired.” Mrs. Waylon’s tone suggested that there was no room for argument. But whether from the dessert or Mrs. Waylon’s comments, Charlotte’s mouth acquired a bad taste, and she wondered suddenly if this was why Sidney had been so brutish at the beginning of their relationship; because he had to endure comment after comment such as these for years by himself.  
“Actually, Mrs. Waylon, I fell in love with Mr. Parker. It had nothing to do with his money or status, and I also find that his reputation to be wildly inaccurate. It seems mostly to be false rumors spread around by unhappy Londoners looking to bring a bit of lively gossip into their lives,” Charlotte said. Her voice and face the picture of kindness and hospitality.

And honestly? Even though she and Sidney had gone to this dinner expressly to acquire more patrons for Sanditon, Charlotte had no desire to court these women. She was fine if they never came to her beachside paradise.

“Mrs. Parker,” Mrs. Waylon began, her face pinched and redder than before.

“To answer your question, Miss Lawson,” Charlotte interrupted and turned her attention to the young girl who now had her mouth hanging open slightly. “I believe there was a series of moments before I fully realized I loved him. One of them was his kindness to his nephews and nieces. His uncanny ability to be kind and generous in a crisis. Another was his rather large heart for those he deems as family, even though I suspect he would deny such accusations.” Charlotte said with a small laugh at the end. Miss Lawson had leaned towards Charlotte as if they were discussing important business that must be dealt with with the utmost respect.

“But to be perfectly honest, I did not always hold Mr. Parker in such esteem,” she whispered much to Miss Lawson’s delight and to Mrs. Waylon’s annoyance.

“Miss Lawson, I beseech you to ignore the tales of Mrs. Parker, they will fill your head with silly ideas about love and kindness that do not account for the realities of marriage,” Mrs. Waylon said haughtily and Charlotte, despite speaking truths that Mrs. Waylon did not wish to hear, was glad that she had been her usual kind self. What reality must Mrs. Waylon live within her marriage to hold the institution to such a loveless degree? She deserved kindness if her marriage bed was so intolerable. 

“She is somewhat correct, Miss Lawson. As the eldest of eleven, my parents wished that I would marry well, but ultimately they hoped I would marry for happiness. I find, unfortunately, that women in our current society do not have the same choice.” Charlotte said truthfully, trying to appease both Mrs. Waylon, but hoping to inspire Miss Lawson to choose a different fate than the one Mrs. Waylon would see her choose.

“I hope to marry for love, like you, Mrs. Parker,” Miss Lawson murmured, still a little unsure about the potential rebuke from Mrs. Waylon.

“I have found, Miss Lawson, that a steady foundation of friendship and respect builds the path to love,” Charlotte told her. “I also suggest knowing their flaws before you wed. If you can negotiate the flaws, you can negotiate anything together.”

Miss Lawson nodded earnestly at Charlotte’s words of wisdom.  
Mrs. Waylon, who grew increasingly annoyed with her decision to engage with Charlotte turned to the young woman next to her and began a discussion, she roped Miss Lawson in as well, and Charlotte was content to sit alone and focus on her dessert. And, perhaps, the prospect of seeing her husband for more than a few minutes later in the night.

\------

Charlotte slowly took out the pins holding up her hair and ran her fingers near her scalp, shaking out the tight curls. It was pure bliss, and she repeated the movement before she felt a kiss on the top of her head. She opened her eyes and craned her neck to see her husband’s beautiful smile.

“I’ve missed you this past couple of weeks,” he said affectionately, and Charlotte rewarded the words with a smile.

“As I have missed you,” she agreed before rising to follow Sidney to their bed. She immediately scooted over to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She had missed him, missed this casual intimacy.

“I also have missed the trouble you seem to cause whenever you do something unexpected,” Sidney told this to Charlotte innocently enough, but when she lifted her head in question, Sidney broke out in a broad smile.

“Sidney?” She asked, a small smile forming on her own at the utter delight captured in Sidney’s features.

“A Mrs. Waylon came to talk with me before I could come back with your coat.” He explained, and Charlotte groaned a little and planted her forehead on Sindey’s bare chest.

“She didn’t?”

“Oh, she did indeed.”

“What could she have possibly said to you?” Charlotte inquired. “She was the one being far too condescending for my liking. I was perfectly nice to her.”

“I’m sure you were,” Sidney agreed immediately and waited until Charlotte had settled back on his shoulder. He carefully ran his fingers through her hair, and Charlotte held back the moan of delight his ministrations caused. She wanted to hear the end of the story and making a sound like that near her husband, in their bed, guaranteed a lengthy detour from their current conversation.

“She informed me that I was spreading lies about our courtship and that it was persuading young girls to abandon money and safety for love,” Sidney said, his chest shaking with laughter. “I am most curious about what lies you have been spreading Mrs. Parker. How unbecoming.” He joked, and Charlotte rolled her eyes, even though Sidney could not see.

“I told one of the young girls, a Miss Lawson how I snared you,”

“Was it your prowess in the bedroom?” Sidney deadpanned, and Charlotte gasped while swatting his chest.

“No! But I wish I had. She was certainly alluding to that fact.”

“So, then, what could you have possibly said that scarred poor Mrs. Waylon for life?”

“You’ll just have to guess?” Charlotte teased, content to lay in her favorite spot and soak up the warmth of her husband.

“Was it when you stumbled upon me naked near the lake?” he laughed out, and Charlotte giggled too.

“No! That may have been when you snared me, but I do not believe it succeeded in endearing me to you,” Charlotte joked happily.

“Well, now, perhaps I needed to right the wrong of a beautiful woman running away laughing at the sight of me naked.” Sidney joked before continuing, “It must have been when I saw that you had so keenly impersonated me while aiding my ward to go against my wishes.”

“Again,” Charlotte said, laughing slightly, “I did not, but I wish I had.”

“You will have to give me a clue,” Sidney finally said, knowing this game could continue for far longer than he wanted. He had hoped to indulge in other pleasurable pursuits with his wife tonight. The dinner took most of his free time away from her.

“It was the truth,” Charlotte clued to him.

“Ah, when you asked for help to secure a tourniquet for Mr. Stringer’s leg and the invaluable help you gave in saving his life?” Sidney asked, smiling fondly at the memory.

“Yes! Apparently saying you tore my dress to do that was not appropriate dinner conversation.” Charlotte sighed theatrically, “the rules of high society continually escape me,” she lamented dramatically.

“Well, luckily, I find the rules of high society equally tedious. We can fail at them together.” Sidney kissed the top of her head at that. “I am sorry that you apparently had to deal with slights against your character and our partnership tonight,” Charlotte hadn’t said much about her night, but Sidney was perceptive when he wanted to be, and he had been next to her when others tried so valiantly to slight her in mixed company.

“It was fine.” Charlotte dismissed. “Actually, I think the slights tonight made me love you even more,” she whispered into his skin.

“Oh?” He asked, curiously.

“Yes, it must have been incredibly difficult for you to suffer through inane comments like that over your reputation, love life, and family throughout the years all by yourself.” She continued serious in her heartache for the past Sidney Parker.

“It wasn’t always so bad, but I did not enjoy it, certainly.” He tried to mitigate the pain he knew his wife’s massive heart would feel on his behalf.

“I’m very glad, Sidney, that I never have to do it alone. That even seated far apart, I have you to come home to,” she told him, raising her head to look him in the eye. Conveying the depth of emotion, she felt for him.

“You will never cease to amaze me, Mrs. Charlotte Parker.” He told her, his emotions as deep as Charlotte’s. “In fact, I imagine that you will continue to amaze everyone who has the pleasure of your company.”

“Yes, but the difference, my husband, is that everyone else is amazed because they underestimate me,” Charlotte told him her head moving closer to Sidney’s.

“How foolish of them,” Sidney concluded before closing the distance between them and showing Charlotte just how much he admired every part of his beautiful wife.

**Author's Note:**

> FINALE DAY! Whooo! I am very excited as I am sure you all are. This isn't one of my best, but I desperately wanted just a little something to address Charlotte being underestimated and sidlotte teasing each other in bed. 
> 
> Lyrics from Maren Morris + Hozier's The Bones
> 
> find me on tumblr: https://air-bison-yip-yip.tumblr.com/
> 
> y'alls support is the absolute best! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!  
-SleepyBanshee


End file.
